What to plant in October in Canberra, while the frosts hang on

October in Canberra is the month to fill the garden with everything except the frost-tender crops. Plant potatoes, sow peas, carrots and silverbeet outside, and start the summer crops in pots. Tomatoes, capsicums and anything else that hates frost wait until mid-November.

The reason is the frost. Canberra’s last frost is usually around the end of October, from mid-October in the inner suburbs to early November in Tuggeranong. Sunny days in early October can feel like summer, then a clear night drops below zero. These dates are for Canberra and the cool tablelands. Coastal gardens in Sydney or Melbourne are weeks ahead and rarely see frost.

Sow or plant outside now

These are hardy enough for October nights:

• Potatoes. Plant seed potatoes from late September to early November. Shoots take two or three weeks to come up, and you can hill soil over them if a frost is forecast.
• Peas. Sow straight into the ground, 4 cm deep, with something to climb.
• Carrots and parsnips. Sow thinly from early October, and keep the soil damp until they come up.
• Beetroot, silverbeet and spinach. Sow in rows, or plant out seedlings.
• Lettuce, rocket, radishes and spring onions. Sow a short row now and another in three weeks.
• Brassicas. Cabbage, broccoli and kale can still go in for an early summer crop, but they bolt in the heat, so get them in early in the month.
• Herbs. Parsley, coriander, dill and chives from seed.

Strawberries, rhubarb and asparagus crowns can also be planted now if you’re starting a bed.

Start in pots, plant out in November

Sow these in pots in a warm, sunny spot, a greenhouse or a sheltered corner, from early October:

Crop	Sow in pots	Plant out
Zucchini and cucumbers	October	Mid-November to early December
Pumpkins	October	November
Sweet corn	October	Mid-November, in a block
Beans	October	Mid-November, or sow them outside then
Basil	October	Mid-November

They grow fast, so there’s no point starting them in September. A plant that’s been in its pot too long is slow to get going once it’s out.

Tomatoes and capsicums

If you sowed tomatoes in September, pot them on and keep them growing. Early October is the last sensible time to sow them in Canberra. It’s too late for capsicums and chillies from seed, which need starting in late August or September, so buy seedlings.

Plant both out from mid-November, after hardening them off for a week. If you’re itching to get them in, a wall of water or a cut-off plastic bottle over each plant gives a few degrees of protection, but a hard frost can still kill them.

Garden jobs for October

• Watch the forecast. Keep frost cloth or old sheets handy and cover potatoes and young seedlings on clear, still nights.
• Feed the soil. Dig compost and manure into beds for the summer crops.
• Mulch, but not yet. Wait until the soil has warmed in November, as mulch keeps it cold.
• Set up watering. Summer comes quickly. Get drip lines or soaker hoses down while the beds are empty.

For a full chart of any crop, choose Canberra on the sowing calendar, and see tomatoes in Christchurch, where the frosts and the timing are much the same.